


Show and Tell - Deleted Scene

by FreyaOdin



Series: Come Fly With Me Outtakes [7]
Category: Pentatonix, Superfruit
Genre: Aviation, Deleted Scenes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meta, Pilots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29978670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaOdin/pseuds/FreyaOdin
Summary: My deleted first attempt at the hospital stay scene in my ficCome Fly With Me.
Relationships: Mitch Grassi/Scott Hoying
Series: Come Fly With Me Outtakes [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058522
Kudos: 12





	Show and Tell - Deleted Scene

**Author's Note:**

> I initially intended to write Scott's experience of his hospital stay as it happened rather than as memories:

The hospital stay is a surreal time for Scott. His foot hurts, obviously, as do his head, face, and hands, but once he's nicely medicated, they're not really that bad. It takes what seems like forever to be examined, X-rayed, and treated, but he can't really begrudge the wait. His injuries are minor compared to some on the flight, so having to wait his turn is to be expected.

They keep him for two nights, which seems like overkill to Scott, although it's not like he's bored. First Mitch arrives, obviously, and Scott is relieved to see him even if things are weird between them. Mitch doesn't seem to know how to act around him, and there's this layer of expectation Scott doesn't quite understand in the background of their interactions. He doesn't even know if he's imagining it or not, because it's not like things are going well inside his own brain, nevermind trying to work out what's happening in Mitch's.

Nicole stops by a half hour or so after Mitch arrives, bringing a hug and news about the true numbers of wounded and how the more serious ones are doing. It's exactly what Scott wants to know, although not all of it is what he wants to hear.

Jeff is in the ICU, his condition apparently serious but stable. The airline has contacted his girlfriend, and she's on her way to Texas. Mary, the injured flight attendant, is in surgery, but is expected to be just fine. So are all the passengers, including the one who'd had a heart attack, although the number of injured, both seriously and not, is distressing.

But it's good news overall, with the possible exception of Jeff, and Scott's relieved. He falls asleep again once Nicole's left, with Mitch sitting by his side. It's fitful and restless.

He wakes in the morning to the arrival of his union rep, followed closely by someone from American's Critical Incident Response Team, and those conversations take most of the morning. They leave him feeling more reassured than terrified, so that's something at least.

Once Mitch comes back, Scott borrows his phone to check emails, and ends up having to call a freaked out Kirstin, and then email a number of other friends who've all contacted him in concern, like Kevin and poor Tobias, who he left halfway through lunch in France. Shortly after that, Mitch gets a FaceTime from Matt, so Scott at least has the chance to thank him face to face for his help.

He has another meeting with his union rep, this time as a preliminary to meeting with NTSB investigators, although they'll thankfully wait until he's released before making him talk to them. He also finds out that Roger's body was found, which somehow makes it feel more real, even though they spare him the details. He wonders how Sandra was informed; there's no good way to find out such a thing, although some are definitely worse than others.

He manages another nap late in the afternoon, courtesy of some pills a nurse brings him, and then his dinner arrives.

You'd think he'd be used to institutional meals, given he eats them so regularly, but they're somehow always worse on the ground than in the air, and he really doesn't care that science says that should be the other way around.

While he's trying to enjoy something laughingly labelled as Salisbury Steak, with Mitch promising to bring him some chocolate like he's four years old if he eats the canned green beans, there's a knock on the door.

Scott looks up to find a middle-aged Asian woman standing in the doorframe. Even with the pilot uniform and the four stripes on her sleeves, it takes him a long moment to realize who she must be. "Japanair 12?"

She smiles. "American 6226. I'm pleased you landed so well."

"Actually one of my uglier ones, I think," Scott replies, returning her smile. "But it worked. I'm Scott, and I owe you big time."

"Fuji Aiko," she replies, stepping forward and holding out her hand. "You may call me Aiko. You would have done the same."

"I would," Scott agrees as he shakes her hand, and it's true, any pilot would have. But not many would have thought to follow him. "I think I promised you a drink, Aikosan."

"I think you will be too busy this stay, but perhaps next time I am in Dallas or you are in Tokyo?"

Scott's smile grows wider. "That's a deal."

**Author's Note:**

> This is the point at which I decided I couldn't make this work; it didn't feel real. There were some fun parts to it, but I didn't like the way the present, active experience of the hospital stay interacted with the emotional disconnect happening between Mitch and Scott over the course of it. I couldn't make Scott's emotions logically progress in his POV while still adequately conveying everything that physically happened in the order it did so.
> 
> So instead, I had Scott remember the key points of the hospital stay while already at the peak of his frustration and grief, which I think gives a sharper, deeper view of the emotional trauma he's only starting to realize, just in time for at least his disconnect with Mitch to be resolved.
> 
> Generally, I'm a fan of actively shown stories, but sometimes I think a bit of telling or recounting can help the writer (and reader) focus in on other things.


End file.
